V 


INDUSTRIAL 

HOUSING  DEVELOPMENTS 
IN  AMERICA 

A Development  of  Group  Houses 


SAWYER  PARK 

WILLIAMSPORT,  PA.  ^ „ 

. u /» '" 

George  S.  and  Lewis  E.  Welsh 
Architects 


c~ 


By  LAWRENCE  VEILLER 


NATIONAL  HOUSING  ASSOCIATION  PUBLICATIONS 

No.  47 

Price  Ten  Cents 
May,  1918 

105  East  22nd  Street,  New  York  City 


Reprinted  from 

THE  ARCHITECTURAL  RECORD 
May,  1918 


- , 1 — -ftteWffl  LIUIIAH'11  AHmillLntfRT 

]/  £ 3 <*  UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


PART  in  * A DEVELOPMENT  GROUP  HOUSES 
SAWYER  PARK  - WILLIAMSPORT  • PA. 

Geo.  S.  Welsh  &■  Lewis  £ Welsh,  Architects 


THE  architects  of  America  are  just 
beginning  to  discover  the  advan- 
tages of  the  group  house.  It  has 
taken  them  a long  time  to  come  to  it. 
Fashions  in  housing  seem  to  be  as  strong 
as  in  any  other  phase  of  human  activity ; 
and  not  only  have  the  architects  of 
America,  but  the  public  also  until  re- 
cently, clung  with  great  tenacity  to  the 
detached  house. 

So  strong  throughout  the  country  has 
been  the  feeling  that  the  detached  house 
is  the  only  type  of  house  for  an  Ameri- 
can, that  with  considerable  difficulty  has 
a hearing  been  had  for  the  claims  of  the 
group  house,  notwithstanding  its  success- 
ful use  in  Great  Britain  and  on  the  Con- 
tinent for  many  generations. 

In  the  first  article  in  this  series  we 
described  a development  made  up  en- 
tirely of  single-family  detached  houses, 
that  of  Eclipse  Park,  at  Beloit,  Wis.  The 
present  article  deals  with  a similar  de- 
velopment made  up  entirely  of  group 
houses  designed  for  the  same  class  of 
workingman,  the  high  grade  mechanic. 

One  reason  that  the  group  house  has 
not  been  popular  heretofore  has  been 
because  of  the  fact  that  it  has  been  as- 
sociated in  the  public  mind  with  the 
“terrace,”  as  it  is  called  in  the  Middle 
West,  or  long  row  of  stereotyped  houses, 
deadly  monotonous  in  appearance,  with 
little  architectural  style,  and  consequent- 


ly producing  a dreary,  unpleasing  im- 
pression. 

Whenever  one  has  spoken  of  group 
houses  the  average  person  has  instinct- 
ively thought  of  long  rows  of  the  hideous 
small  dwellings  of  Philadelphia,  or  of 
the  equally  hideous  rows  of  tall  New 
York  tenements,  or  of  New  York’s 
earlier  brownstone  fronts.  These  repre- 
sent the  defects  of  the  group  house,  not 
its  merits.  They  are  not  at  all  inherent 
in  the  type  itself.  It  is  just  as  possible 
to  secure  variety  in  group  houses  as  it 
is  in  individual  houses;  and  detached 
houses  can  be  quite  as  monotonous  as 
even  the  Philadelphia  row  or  the  New 
York  brownstone  front  if  they  are  all 
alike  and  do  not  possess  beauty  of  design 
or  line ; witness  the  appearance  of  any  of 
the  earlier  so-called  “mill  villages.” 

The  public  is  just  beginning  to  have  its 
eyes  opened  to  the  fact  that  it  is  not  a 
choice  between  a row  of  drearily  monot- 
onous group  houses  or  of  well  designed, 
attractive  detached  houses.  In  both 
cases  the  question  is  whether  the  houses 
are  well  designed  and  pleasing  in  appear- 
ance or  whether  they  are  not.  The  row 
house  of  England  as  developed  by  the 
ordinary  commercial  builder  is  quite  as 
monotonous  and  unpleasing  in  appear- 
ance as  anything  we  know  of  in  this 
country ; but  the  group  house  of  the  Eng- 
lish Garden  Village,  on  the  contrary,  is, 


% 


/ 


1 


as  a rule,  charming  and  attractive.  It  all 
boils  down  to  a question  of  intelligent 
design  and  good  taste. 

The  advantages  of  the  group  house  for 
an  industrial  housing  development  inhere 
in  the  facts  that  is  is  easy  to  heat; 
that  it  costs  less  to  build,  and  that  be- 
cause of  its  better  proportions  it  is  pos- 
sible to  utilize  better  design. 

Sawyer  Park,  one  of  the  latest  and 
best  industrial  housing  developments  in 
this  country,  located  at  Williamsport, 
Pa.,  is  unique  in  that  it  is  a development 
entirely  of  group  houses. 

In  the  opinion  of  the  writer  it  is 
architecturally  the  best  thing  in  indus- 
trial housing  that  has  thus  far  been  done 
in  this  country.  The  houses  are  attrac- 
tive in  design,  picturesque,  quaint  and 
with  great  charm.  They  are,  moreover, 
well  adapted  to  the  needs  of  the  com- 
munity. They  are  essentially  working- 
men’s houses  and  have  been  built  at  a 
cost  that  makes  their  purchase  well  with- 
in the  means  of  the  skilled  worker  for 
whom  they  have  been  designed. 

This  latest  American  Garden  Village 
possesses  great  interest,  not  only  for  the 
housing  reformer,  but  for  the  architect- 
ural profession,  for  the  business  men  of 
the  country  and  for  those  manufacturers 
who  are  seeking  to  reduce  labor  turn- 
over and  who  are  finding  in  improved 
housing  a most  potent  means  of  overcom- 
ing this  serious  economic  waste. 

The  development  possesses  unusual 
features  of  interest.  It  is  not  directly 
an  employers’  enterprise ; nor  is  it,  on  the 
other  hand,  a land  speculation  scheme. 
The  element  of  profiteering  is  entirely 
absent,  as  is  also  the  element  of  paternal- 
ism and  philanthropy.  It  is  in  every  re- 
spect a citizens’  movement. 

In  the  spring  of  1917,  there  being  not 
a single  vacant  house  in  Williamsport  at 
that  time,  the  business  men  of  the  city, 
acting  through  the  Board  of  Trade, 
made  an  appeal  to  the  public-spirited 
citizens  of  the  community,  calling  their 
attention  to  the  need  which  confronted 
the  city  and  the  opportunity  that  lay  be- 
fore them.  As  a result,  the  Williams- 
port Improvement  Company  was  organ- 
ized with  an  authorized  capital  of  $1,000,- 


000,  one-half  of  which  was  soon  sub- 
scribed for  the  purchase  of  land  and  the 
laying  out  of  a model  residential  com- 
munity. Some  887  different  individuals 
in  Williamsport  subscribed  to  the  stock 
of  the  new  corporation,  which  definitely 
limited  its  dividends  to  6%. 

One  of  the  things  which  makes  Sawyer 
Park  especially  interesting  is  that  it  il- 
lustrates the  possibilities  of  develop- 
ments of  this  kind  in  the  smaller  cities 
of  America  and  also  with  comparatively 
small  parcels  of  land.  Williamsport  is 
not  a great  metropolis.  It  has  an  esti- 
mated population  of  about  37,000.  Nor 
in  this  case  was  there  unlimited  acreage 
for  the  development.  City  planners,  as 
a rule,  advise  securing  all  the  land  that 
can  be  obtained  and  have  laid  down  the 
principle  that  for  a development  of  this 
kind  there  ought  to  be  preferably  100 
acres  available  and  certainly  not  less 
than  50.  In  this  case  some  36  acres  of 
old  farming  la*"d  has  been  utilized.  The 
selection  of  the  land  was  most  fortunate ; 
for  the  little  colony  nestles  in  the  slope 
of  a hill  which  shields  the  houses  in 
winter  from  the  northwest  winds  and 
gives  to  them  the  most  desirable  winds 
during  the  hot  summer  months.  In  ad- 
dition, the  settlement  has  very  unusual 
attractions  in  outlook.  It  overlooks  the 
river,  across  which  there  is  the  delight- 
ful view  of  Bald  Eagle  Mountain. 

With  great  intelligence,  the  developers 
of  the  property  have  followed  the  natural 
contours  and  have  utilized  the  sloping 
hillside  to  develop  the  houses  practically 
to  the  crest  of  the  hill  in  attractive  ter- 
races, rows  of  houses  rising  above  others, 
clinging  to  the  hillside  in  a way  that  sug- 
gests in  their  general  appearance  those 
attractive  crescent  terraces  of  Bath,  Eng- 
land. A considerable  part  of  the  charm 
of  the  Park  lies  in  this  attractive 
grouping  of  the  buildings  and  the  way  in 
which  they  fit  into  the  natural  landscape. 
This  effect  is  greatly  enhanced  by  the  use 
of  gently  curving  streets  wherever  pos- 
sible, preserving  at  the  same  time  the  ad- 
vantages of  the  rectangular  street  plan 
and  fitting  it  into  the  street  plan  of  the 
city  itself. 

One  of  the  most  distinctive  features 


A CHARACTERISTIC  VIEW  OF  SAWYER  PARK. 


of  the  whole  colony  and  to  which  a large 
part  of  the  charm  is  due  rests  in  the  fact 
that  the  houses  have  not  been  arranged 
in  strict  rectangular  lines,  but  have  been 
placed  at  angles,  breaking  up  the  monot- 
ony of  the  usual  block  plan  that  prevails 
in  most  cities.  We  understand  that  this 
method  of  grouping  the  houses  was 
viewed  in  the  beginning  with  grave  mis- 
givings by  many  of  the  local  people.  As 
one  of  the  townspeople  put  it,  “The  man 
who  laid  out  those  lots  must  have  been 
drunk  or  crazy.” 

The  best  city  planning  principles  have 
been  followed.  This  being  a residential 
development  the  streets  have  not  been 
made  unnecessarily  wide,  the  40-foot 
street  prevailing.  One  thoroughfare 
which  borders  the  Park  on  the  east, 
namely,  Wildwood  Boulevard,  is  80  feet 
in  width,  and  a curving  highway  known 
as  Park  Avenue,  which  skirts  the  main 
residential  development  on  the  south, 
was  already  established  as  a 60-foot 
thoroughfare.  With  these  two  excep- 
tions all  of  the  streets  in  the  Park  proper 
are  40-foot  streets,  thus  not  only  saving 
money,  which  is  so  often  wasted  in 
streets  of  unnecessary  width,  but  also 
discouraging  through  traffic  from  utiliz- 
ing streets  designed  purely  for  residential 
purposes. 

The  orientation  has  been  given  very 


thoughtful  consideration.  While  it  has 
not  been  possible  always  to  insure  every 
room  in  every  house  getting  direct  sun- 
shine at  some  hour  of  the  day,  owing  to 
the  necessity  of  adapting  the  develop- 
ment to  the  contours  of  the  land,  the 
maximum  amount  of  sunshine  has  been 
afforded.  According  to  the  architect, 
ninety-seven  per  cent,  (by  actual  count) 
of  the  rooms  in  the  various  buildings  will 
have  the  sun  at  some  hour  of  the  day. 
Many  of  the  houses  face  the  south.  Not 
only  has  the  orientation  been  considered, 
but  attractiveness  of  outlook  has  had 
equal  consideration,  and  from  practically 
every  house  a delightful  and  charming 
view  over  the  treetops  and  across  the 
valley  to  the  surrounding  hills  is  af- 
forded. 

The  property,  while  on  the  edge  of  the 
city,  is  within  the  city  limits  and  readily 
accessible  by  trolley.  One  line  comes 
direct  to  the  edge  of  the  Park  and  an- 
other within  two  minutes’  walk  of  it. 
The  heart  of  the  city  is  not  over  fifteen 
minutes  away  by  trolley.  Within  a 
radius  of  a mile  there  are  fourteen  large 
industrial  plants  employing  over  5,000 
persons.  It  is  thus  possible  for  prac- 
tically every  one  residing  in  Sawyer 
Park  to  walk  to  his  work,  even  to  get 
home  at  the  noon  hour  for  dinner,  if  that 
is  desired — all  of  which  means  a consider- 


] 


A FRINGE  OF  SHOPS  AND  APARTMENTS  MASKING  THE  FACTORIES 


able  saving  in  carfare,  a saving  that  has 
been  estimated  to  be  equal  to  the  equiva- 
lent of  one  month’s  rent.  Public  schools 
are  within  easy  access.  The  high  school 
is  less  than  a mile  away.  Churches, 
stores  and  other  public  facilities  are 
found  in  the  neighborhood ; but  notwith- 
standing this,  the  company  contem- 
plates the  building  of  neighborhood  shops 
for  the  residents  of  the  Park,  in  which 
can  be  found  those  small  stores  that  are 
necessary  for  the  needs  of  a community ; 
in  addition,  a moving  picture  theatre  and 
club  or  assembly  rooms  in  which  the 
social  life  of  the  community  can  be  main- 
tained are  to  be  provided.  A very  attrac- 
tive building  for  this  purpose,  harmoniz- 
ing in  architectural  style  with  the  whole 
park  development,  has  been  designed  by 
the  architects.  While  not  yet  erected,  its 
construction  is  planned  at  a later  date. 
Out  of  the  total  acreage  of  36  acres, 
5 24  acres  have  been  set  aside  for  recrea- 
tion and  play  and  school  buildings. 

The  diagram  on  the  opposite  page  shows 
in  an  interesting  way  the  proportion  of 
the  land  allotted  to  various  purposes.  Of 
the  36.71  acres  16.06  acres  or  43.70%  is 
utilized  for  building  lots;  5.71  acres  or 
15.55%  has  been  reserved  for  school 
buildings  and  recreation  space ; 6.98 
acres  or  19.80%  it  is  contemplated  to  de- 
velop with  factories ; 6.32  acres  or 


16.50%  is  being  utilized  for  streets;  1.32 
acres  or  3.55%  for  sidewalks,  and  .32  of 
an  acre  or  a little  less  than  one  per  cent, 
may  be  devoted  to  alleys.  Following  the 
practice  of  the  best  Garden  Village  de- 
velopments, the  property  is  being  ar- 
ranged so  that  when  the  whole  develop- 
ment is  completed  there  will  be  an  aver- 
age of  about  eight  families  to  the  acre. 

To  the  south  of  the  Park  the  company 
owns  a strip  of  land  running  down  to 
the  railroad  tracks  that  is  adapted  to 
factory  development.  In  fact  there  are 
a number  of  factories  already  built  in 
this  location  and  it  would  be  most  un- 
wise to  develop  this  portion  of  the  prop- 
erty in  any  other  way.  The  company  is 
now  considering  the  suggestion,  made  by 
the  writer  when  he  was  at  Williamsport 
recently,  of  treating  this  property  by  de- 
veloping with  factories  the  major  part  of 
it  immediately  adjoining  the  railroad 
tracks,  but  placing  on  the  Park  Avenue 
end  of  the  property,  facing  the  main  resi- 
dential part  of  the  Park,  a fringe  of  shops 
and  small  apartments  such  as  are  shown 
on  this  page.  This  will  serve  a two-fold 
purpose.  It  will  mask  the  factories  and 
thus  prevent  the  factory  development 
from  interfering  with  residential  values; 
it  will  maintain  the  residential  character 
and  appearance  of  the  entire  Park;  it 
will  place  the  shops  and  stores  and  build- 


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TABLE  I.— LAND  DISTRIBUTION 
AND  USE.  DEVELOPMENT  COSTS. 


THE  CURVING  STREETS  GIVE  CHARM  TO  THE  DEVELOPMENT. 


ings  of  public  assemblage  in  a sense  on 
the  outside  of  the  Park  and  yet  at  the 
same  time  in  a convenient  location. 

PLOT  ARRANGEMENT. 

With  36  acres  available,  as  already 
stated,  only  16  acres  have  been  developed 
into  building  lots,  the  balance  of  the  prop- 
erty being  devoted  to  streets,  sidewalks, 
recreation,  etc.  These  16  acres  have 
been  divided  into  some  25  different  plots 
or  blocks  of  varying  size  and  shape, 
none  of  them  too  long,  however,  nor  any 
of  them  too  wide.  On  this  land  it  is  con- 
templated erecting  altogether  houses  for 
300  families ; 100  houses  have  already 
been  built. 


TYPES  OF  HOUSES. 

The  houses  are  of  three  main  types: 
Two-family  houses — semi-detached  or 
double — of  which  there  are  two  types, 
Types  A and  B ; four-family  houses  of 
Type  D,  and  six-family  houses  of  Type 
C.  The  best  planned  house  in  the 
writer’s  judgment  is  Type  D,  the  four- 
family  house.  This  is  but  two  rooms 
deep  and  is  a house  of  seven  rooms  and 
bath.  Each  house,  there  being  four 
houses  in  a row  connected  by  party  walls 
(see  pages  460-461),  has  a frontage  of  22 
ft.  3 ins.,  and  a depth  of  24  ft.  On  the 
ground  floor  there  is  a spacious  parlor 
or  living  room  11  by  15  ft. ; opening  from 


WILDWOOD  AVENUE-A  BORDERING  THOROUGHFARE. 


Trolleys  Screened  by  Tiees. 


this  with  a large  archway  and  to  the  rear 
of  it  is  the  dining  room,  11  by  12  ft., 
and  to  one  side  of  the  dining  room  and 
at  the  rear  of  the  entrance  hall  is  the 
kitchen,  9 ft.  by  12  ft.  6 ins.  _ The 
entrance  hall  is  very  attractive,  being  7 
feet  in  width,  and  the  stairs  open  from 
this  and  not  directly  from  the  living 
room,  thus  insuring  privacy  for  the  lat- 
ter. Upstairs  on  the  second  floor  there 
are  three  very  attractive  bedrooms  and 
a good  sized  bathroom.  The  bedrooms 
are  aproximately  10  by  11  ft.  in  size. 
On  the  attic  floor  there  is  a large  bed- 
room, well  ventilated,  with  windows  at 
both  ends. 

The  rooms  in  this  house  are  especially 
well  arranged  to  insure  cross  ventilation, 
which  is  so  important  in  view  of  recent 
discoveries  as  to  the  value  of  moving 
air.  Both  the  parlor  and  the  dining  room 
have  windows  on  two  different  sides,  and 
are  so  arranged  with  reference  to  each 
other  as  to  insure  a complete  circulation 
of  air  at  all  times.  The  bedrooms  of  the 
end  houses  similarly  have  windows  on 
two  sides,  and  in  the  middle  houses  the 
rooms  are  so  located  as  to  make  cross 
ventilation  possible. 

THE  TWO-FAMILY  HOUSE TYPE  A. 

The  double  or  semi-detached  house 
is  built  on  a 16-foot  frontage  with  a 24- 


foot  depth  for  the  main  body  of  the 
house  and  a kitchen  extension  making 
the  total  depth  33  ft.  6 ins.  This  house 
contains  six  rooms  and  bath — a parlor, 
dining  room  and  kitchen  on  the  ground 
floor,  two  bedrooms  and  bath  on  the 
second  floor  and  a third  bedroom  in  the 
attic.  The  size  of  the  rooms  and  the  gen- 
eral arrangement  are  very  similar  to  the 
Type  D house ; all  rooms  being  of  gener- 
ous size,  the  parlors  in  this  case  being 
11  ft.  3 ins.  by  12  ft.  6 ins.,  the  dining 
room  the  same  size  and  the  kitchen  8 ft. 
6 ins.  by  10  ft. 

TYPE  B. 

The  other  two-family  or  double  house, 
Type  B,  is  the  least  desirable  type  in  the 
development.  It  is  a three-room  deep 
house,  whereas  all  of  the  other  houses 
are  but  two  rooms  in  depth ; the  result  is 
that  the  middle  rooms — on  the  ground 
floor  the  dining  room  and  on  the  second 
floor  one  of  the  bedrooms — are  dependent 
for  their  light  and  ventilation  on  the 
somewhat  narrow  side  yards  left  between 
adjacent  buildings.  Otherwise  the  type 
of  house  is  similar  to  the  other  types 
already  described,  though  all  of  the 
rooms  in  this  type  are  somewhat  smaller 
than  in  the  others  owing  to  the  narrow 
frontage  on  which  the  house  is  built, 
each  unit  in  this  type  having  a frontage 
of  14  feet  and  a depth  of  39  feet. 


1 


TYPE  A-DOUBLE  HOUSE. 

Six  Rooms  and  Bath;  Unit,  16  Feet  by  24  Feet. 


TYPE  B-DOUBLE  HOUSE. 

Six  Rooms  and  Bath;  Unit,  14  Feet  by  39  Feet. 


* wml ) 

*1 

( 


r 


TYPE  C— GROUP  FOR  SIX  FAMILIES. 

Each  Unit,  Six  Rooms  ami  Bath;  House,  16  Feet  by  33  Feet  6 Inches. 


TYPE  D-GROUP  FOR  FOUR  FAMILIES. 
Each  Unit,  Seven  Rooms  and  Bath;  House,  22  Feet  by  24  Feet. 


The  Best  Type. 


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First  Floor  Plan. 


Second  Floor  Plan. 


TYPE  A — DOUBLE  HOUSE. 
Each  Unit,  Six  Rooms  and  Bath; 
Each  House,  16  Feet  by  24  Feet. 


First  Floor  Plan. 


Second  Floor  Plan. 


TYPE  B — DOUBLE  HOUSE. 
Each  L’nit,  Six  Rooms  and  Bath; 
Each  House,  14  Feet  by  39  Feet. 


TYPE  C— GROUP  FOR  SIX  FAMILIES. 

Each  Unit,  Six  Rooms  and  Bath;  Each  House,  16  Feet  by  33  Feet  6 Inches. 


THE  SIX-FAMILY  HOUSE — TYPE  C. 

The  remaining  type,  or  Type  C,  is  a 
modified  form  of  Type  A.  The  house 
proper  is  but  two  rooms  deep,  but  on  the 
ground  floor  there  is  the  kitchen  exten- 
sion; the  four  end  houses,  two  at  each 
end,  being  of  this  type.  The  two  middle 
houses  vary  slightly,  having  a front  pro- 
jection which  gives  much  charm  to  the 
architectural  design  of  the  building  and 
in  this  case  affords  rooms  of  a little 
larger  size.  Each  unit  of  this  type  is 
built  on  a frontage  of  16  feet,  with  a 
depth  of  24  feet  for  the  house  proper, 
an  additional  depth  of  9 ft.  6 ins.  for  the 
kitchen  extension  and  a further  addi- 
tional depth  of  6 feet  for  the  front  pro- 
jection, making  the  house  33  ft.  6 ins.  in 


depth  at  one  point  and  39  ft.  6 ins.  deep 
at  the  point  of  greatest  depth. 

GROUPING  OF  HOUSES. 

As  will  be  seen  we  thus  have  a number 
of  houses  two  in  a row,  four  in  a row 
and  six  in  a row.  Of  the  100  houses  al- 
ready built,  26  have  been  built  two  in  a 
row,  6 have  been  built  four  in  a row  and 
4 have  been  built  six  in  a row.  So  much 
for  the  arrangement  of  the  houses. 

ACCOMMODATIONS  OFFERED. 

Now  with  regard  to  the  accommoda- 
tions offered.  Every  house  has  a well 
lighted  and  ventilated,  concrete  floor 
cellar  and  a hot  air  furnace  with  pipes 
to  each  room  on  the  first  and  second 
floors.  The  houses  are  equipped  with 


Second  Floor  Plan. 

TYPE  C-GROUP  FOR  SIX  FAMILIES. 

Each  Unit,  Six  Rooms  and  Bath;  Each  House,  16  Feet  by  33  Feet  6 Inches. 


all  modern  devices.  The  bathroom  is 
complete  in  every  respect,  with  a porce- 
lain tub,  washbowl  and  toilet  fixture  of 
modern  type.  Kitchens  are  provided 
with  a sink  and  porcelain  washtub,  the 
cover  of  the  washtub  acting  as  a drain- 
board  for  the  sink.  Kitchen  dressers 
have  not  been  provided,  but  it  is  stated 
that  these  can  be  furnished  where  the 
purchaser  desires  them  at  an  additional 
charge  of  $25.  In  the  opinion  of  the 
writer  it  would  have  been  wiser  to  have 
provided  a built-in  dresser  to  contain 
china,  glass  and  dishes  in  each  kitchen, 
also  a pot-closet,  leaving  to  the  tenants 
the  providing  of  their  own  kitchen 
cabinet  for  the  holding  of  supplies. 

Every  house  has  a front  porch  as  well 


as  a rear  entrance  to  the  kitchen.  The 
treatment  of  the  front  porch  has  been 
handled  with  great  skill.  As  a rule,  the 
average  piazza  demanded  by  American 
custom  destroys  the  architectural  style 
of  the  building,  but  the  architects  in  this 
case  have  with  very  great  skill  provided 
the  necessary  porches  without  in  any  way 
detracting  from  the  appearance  of  the 
building.  So,  on  the  contrary,  they  have 
made  the  front  porch  add  to  the  archi- 
tectural design  of  the  structure. 

As  well  as  having  modern  plumbing 
every  house  is  equipped  with  gas  pipes 
and  also  is  wired  for  electricity.  The  fix- 
tures are  direct,  with  the  exception  of  the 
dining  room,  which  is  semi-indirect,  and 
the  switches  control  the  lights  not  only  in 


TYPE  D— GROUP  FOR  FOUR  FAMILIES. 

Each  Unit,  Seven  Rooms  and  Bath;  Each  House,  22  Feet  by  24  Feet. 


the  basement,  but  also  on  both  the  front 
and  rear  porches.  This  is  a very  real 
comfort  to  the  housewife,  who,  at  night 
when  her  husband  may  be  away,  or  in 
the  late  hours  of  the  short  winter  days, 
finds  considerable  concern  about  opening 
her  door  to  everyone  who  knocks  upon  it. 
By  turning  on  the  switch  from  the  in- 
side of  the  house  she  is  able  to  see  who 
is  out  there  before  going  to  the  door. 
It  is  little  things  like  these  that  make  or 
break  developments  of  this  kind. 

The  interior  finish  of  the  houses  is 
varied — yellow  pine,  stained  mission, 
golden  oak  and  green.  Most  of  the 
rooms  have  been  designed  so  that  the 
usual  9x12  rug,  the  size  that  is  gen- 
erally purchased  by  the  workingman, 
can  be  easily  accommodated  and  not 
leave  a large  floor  space  to  be  covered  in 
some  supplementary  way.  To  Williams- 


port belongs  the  honor  of  having  dis- 
covered the  9x12  rug  as  a standard  in 
determining  the  size  of  rooms  in  a work- 
ingman’s dwelling.  It  is  a good,  practical 
method. 

Clothes  closets  are  provided  in  all  of 
the  houses.  While  much  more  generous 
provision  has  been  made  in  this  respect 
than  is  found  in  the  usual  commercially 
built  workingman’s  dwelling,  this  is  one 
of  the  features  in  which  the  houses  might 
be  improved.  In  some  of  the  types  there 
are  no  clothes  closets  in  each  of  the  bed- 
rooms. In  one  type,  the  only  clothes 
closet  opens  off  one  of  the  bedrooms, 
thus  forcing  other  members  of  the  family 
to  go  through  an  occupied  bedroom  in 
order  to  get  their  clothes.  The  space  pro- 
vided for  linen  closets  is  not  always  ade- 
quate. There  should  be;  a linen  closet  on 
the  second  story  of  every  workingman’s 


TYPE  D— GROUP  FOR  FOUR  FAMILIES. 

Each  Unit,  Seven  Rooms  and  Bath;  Each  House,  22  Feet  by  24  Feet. 


dwelling.  The  workingman’s  wife,  just 
as  much  as  any  other  man's  wife,  wants 
a linen  closet  for  the  storage  of  linen, 
blankets  and  similar  household  supplies. 

TYPE  OF  CONSTRUCTION. 

The  houses  have  all  been  built  with 
outer  walls  of  fireproof  material,  there 
being  no  frame  construction  in  the  de- 
development. This  means  greater  per- 
manency, less  cost  for  upkeep  and  less 
depreciation.  Hollow  tile  has  been  used 
for  the  cellar  walls,  foundation  , side 
walls  and  division  walls  between  the 
houses,  thus  not  only  affording  greater 
strength  and  fire  safety  but  providing 
the  necessary  air  space  so  essential  for 
warmth  in  winter  and  coolness  in  sum- 
mer and  protecting  against  dampness  in 
all  seasons  of  the  year.  Some  of  the 
houses  are  developed  with  an  artistic 
stucco  finish  in  white  or  gray  on  top  of 


the  hollow  tile ; others,  with  pentex 
treatment.  It  is  believed  that  because 
of  this  method  of  construction  the  houses 
will  be  less  expensive  to  heat  than 
houses  built  of  frame  or  of  solid  walls. 
The  fire  risk  has  thus  been  reduced  to  a 
minimum.  In  fact  the  smallest  possible 
amount  of  wood  is  used  on  the  exterior 
of  the  houses.  Even  the  roof  overhang- 
ings only  being  faced  with  wood,  the 
under  side  being  stucco.  The  roofs  are 
of  slate. 

THE  ECONOMIC  SIDE. 

The  acid  test  of  a development  of  this 
kind  is  to  be  found  on  its  economic  side. 
Given  good  judgment  and  taste  and  in- 
telligence, it  is  always  possible  to  build 
houses  that  are  attractive  architectur- 
ally and  possess  charm ; but  to  build  such 
houses  at  a cost  within  the  purchasing 
power  of  the  skilled  mechanic  is  a total- 


ly  different  question.  The  extent  to 
which  this  has  been  done  is  the  real  test 
of  such  an  enterprise.  Sawyer  Park 
meets  this  test  and  comes  out  of  it  with 
flying  colors.  It  is  an  object  lesson  for 
other  communities,  to  note  the  business- 
like way  in  which  the  project  has  been 
handled  from  the  start.  The  various 
prospectuses  issued  by  the  Board  of 
Trade,  when  the  project  was  first  sug- 
gested in  March,  1917,  are  models  in 
manner  of  presentation  and  soundness  of 
treatment  that  may  well  be  followed  by 
persons  contemplating  similar  develop- 
ments.* 

The  lowest  priced  house  has  been  built 
so  that  it  can  sell  for  $2,935,  and  the 
highest  priced  house  for  $3,335.  The 
great  majority  of  the  houses  sell  for 
$3,185  and  $3,285.  This  means  that  a 
mechanic  by  an  initial  payment  of  $300 
down  and  a monthly  payment  of  $30 
thereafter  can  immediately  enter  into 
possession  of  a high-class,  modern  home 
of  six  rooms  and  bath,  and  at  the  end 
of  10  years  own  it  free  and  clear.  This 
result  has  been  accomplished  through 
buying  material  at  pre-war  prices  in  car- 
load lots  at  wholesale  rates  at  costs  much 
less,  of  course,  than  would  prevail  today. 
All  unnecessary  middlemen’s  profits 
have  been  eliminated.  The  investors  in 
the  property  have  deliberately  limited 
their  return  to  6%  on  their  money  and 
the  contract  made  with  the  construction 
company  has  been  so  fair  and  equitable 
as  to  reduce  to  a minimum  the  necessary 
overhead  expenses  connected  with  the 
construction  of  the  houses  and  the  de- 
velopment of  the  property. 

The  houses  have  frankly  been  built  to 
sell  and  not  to  rent.  The  projectors  of 
the  enterprise  have  been  of  the  opinion 
that  it  was  more  advantageous  to  the 
community,  as  well  as  to  the  working- 
man, that  he  should  own  his  own  home. 
That  a community  of  home-owners  was 
preferable  to  a community  of  “renters.” 

At  the  time  of  going  to  press  with  this 
article  the  sale  of  the  houses  was  in  prog- 
ress. The  writer  believes  that  ultimate- 


See  Prospectus  of  the  Williamsport  Realty  Com- 
pany ?nd  “^eP°rt  °f  a Proposed  Industrial  Village 
at  Williamsport”  issued  by  the  Board  of  Trade  un- 
der date  of  March  15,  1917. 


ly  the  company  will  find,  as  so  many 
others  have  found,  that  there  are  very 
distinct  advantages  in  renting  dwellings 
of  this  character — advantages  which  out- 
weigh the  advantages  to  be  obtained 
from  selling  the  houses.  Management 
and  upkeep  are  so  essential  a part  of 
the  success  of  any  such  scheme  that  it 
is  an  almost  universal  experience  that,  if 
the  property  is  to  be  kept  up  to  the  high- 
est standard,  the  projectors  of  the  enter- 
prise must  retain  control.  When  houses 
are  sold,  control  is  surrendered.  Under 
such  circumstances  property  of  this 
kind  is  apt  to  deteriorate  and  depreciate, 
especially  where  restrictions  have  not 
been  imposed.  One  workingman  to 
whom  a house  is  sold  may  have  high 
standards  and  keep  his  property  in  good 
condition.  The  man  next  door  to  him 
may  be  shiftless  in  character  and  untidy; 
he  may  have  no  desire  to  plant  a garden, 
to  grow  flowers  or  to  keep  the  lawns 
trimmed  and  well  cut.  Instead  he  may 
keep  chickens,  horses,  cows  or  pigs  in 
his  backyard;  or  he  may  dump  piles  of 
ashes  and  other  refuse  material  there. 
He  may  build  an  unsightly  board 
fence  or  one  with  scraps  of  sheet 
iron  to  fence  in  his  vegetable  garden. 
The  effect  of  all  this  is  to  drive  the 
orderly  and  tidy  people  away.  Thus  the 
whole  class  of  occupancy  is  in  danger 
of  gradually  changing,  undesirable  oc- 
cupants creeping  into  the  settlement. 
After  the  company  once  sells  a house  to 
a man  there  are  no  means  of  preventing 
him  from  reselling  it. 

Under  such  conditions  the  Garden  Vil- 
lage loses  its  character ; while  it  still  re- 
mains a village,  the  garden  vanishes. 

This  has  been  the  general  experience, 
not  only  in  this  country  but  in  Great 
Britain,  an  experience  that  has  led  to 
the  copartnership  scheme  of  property 
ownership  by  which,  instead  of  there  be- 
ing individual  ownership  of  individual 
houses,  and  though  actually  paid  for  by 
the  occupiers  of  the  dwellings,  neverthe- 
less the  . entire  community  owns  them, 
so  that  its  proper  upkeep  and  manage- 
ment is  secured ; for,  no  individual  owns 
his  house  but  only  its  value  in  stock  of 
the  company.  The  result  is  that  all  the 
advantages  of  the  individual’s  ownership 


of  property  in  having  a stake  in  the 
community  are  maintained,  while  the 
disadvantages  just  cited  are  overcome; 
with  the  added  advantage  that  the  ob- 
jection to  the  purchase  of  houses,  which 
is  being  more  and  more  often  advanced 
by  the  workingman,  namely,  that  it  inter- 
feres with  mobility  of  labor  and  chains 
him  to  his  job,  is  entirely  overcome. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  some  such 
plan  was  not  developed  in  connection 
with  Sawyer  Park ; and  it  is  to  be  hoped 
that  even  now  restrictions  will  be  im- 
posed in  the  deed  which  will  protect  the 
purchasers  of  the  houses  in  the  perpetual 
enjoyment  of  the  amenities  of  this  Gar- 
den Village. 

CONSTRUCTION  SIDE  OF  THE  PROBLEM. 

One  of  the  reasons  for  the  success  of 
this  development  has  been  the  skill  and 
efficiency  with  which  the  construction 
company,  in  this  case  the  Dodson  Realty 
Corporation  of  Bethlehem,  Pa.,  has 
handled  the  work.  The  directors  of 
the  Housing  Company  decided  wisely 
at  the  beginning  of  the  undertak- 
ing to  make  a contract  with  one  con- 
cern for  the  entire  development  and 
selected  the  Dodson  Realty  Corporation 
as  the  company  to  whom  they  entrusted 
the  supervision  of  the  entire  scheme. 
The  terms  on  which  this  contract  was 
made  represent  a fair  basis  for  similar 
contracts  in  similar  developments  and 
for  this  reason  the  following  summary  of 
the  terms  of  the  contract  is  given : 

The  contract  with  the  Dodson  Realty 
Corporation  provides  that  they  furnish 
plans  and  specifications  for  land  de- 
velopment, including: 

(a)  Plans  of  streets,  lots,  parks,  etc. 

(b)  Locations  and  grades  for  streets 

and  sidewalks. 

(c)  Cross-section  details  of  streets, 

sidewalks,  curbs,  gutters. 

(d)  Landscape  plans — (street  plant- 

ing). 

(e)  Plan  of  street  lighting  system. 

It  is  agreed  that  in  case  the  contract 
is  cancelled  by  either  party,  the  plans 
of  Dodson  may  be  used  for  Williams- 
port, on  the  basis  of  4%  for  originals 
and  2%  for  repeats  without  superintend- 
ence on  the  cost  of  construction,  on 
which  cost  of  construction  no  commis- 
sion has  been  paid  to  Dodson. 

Dodson  further  agrees  to  perform  the 
following  services,  for  which  he  re- 
ceives a percentum  on  expenditure  for 
construction  as  shown  below: 


(a)  Prepare  four  sets  preliminary 
plans  of  land  improvements  and 
houses,  showing  location  of  houses  on 
plot  plan. 

(b)  Furnish  four  sets  of  detailed  plans 
and  specifications  for  land  improve- 
ments and  houses  when  preliminary 
plans  have  been  approved. 

(c)  Provide  an  experienced  field  su- 
perintendent, who  shall  be  in  constant 
attendance  during  the  progress  of  the 
physical  operation,  and  provide  such 
other  assistants  as  may  be  required  for 
efficient  supervision,  direction  and  ad- 
ministration, beyond  recognized  duties 
of  the  contractor. 

(d)  Examine  all  proposals,  estimates 
and  contracts  in  connection  with  the 
work,  and  give  Williamsport  the  bene- 
fit of  Dodson’s  experience  in  all  mat- 
ters pertaining  to  the  operation. 

(e)  Have  its  representative,  expe- 
rienced in  various  branches  of  the  work 
being  done,  visit  the  operation  from 
time  to  time,  and  make  suggestions  for 
the  general  welfare  and  progress  of 
the  operation. 

Williamsport  agrees  to  pay  Dodson 
for  its  services  under  this  contract  a 
percentage  of  the  amounts  expended 
for  materials  and  labor  which  actually 
enter  into  construction  during  the  term 
of  this  agreement  upon  the  following 
basis : 

Ten  per  cent,  of  a maximum  of  $200,- 
000,  so  expended  during  the  first  year  of 
this  agreement,  or  until  $200,000  is  so 
expended. 

Five  per  cent,  of  such  amounts  in  ex- 
cess of  $200,000,  so  expended  during  the 
duration  of  this  agreement. 

Williamsport  shall  pay  Dodson  the 
amount  specified  above  in  manner  fol- 
lowing : 

(a)  $2,000.00  when  preliminary  draw- 
ings for  land  improvements  and  house 
plans  are  approved. 

(b)  $5,000.00  when  detailed  plans  and 
specifications  for  land  improvements 
and  houses  are  completed  and  approved. 

(c)  6 y2%  of  expenditures  for  mate- 
rials as  shown  by  the  bills  when  and 
as  they  are  checked  into  construction 
account,  and  6%%  of  labor  payrolls 
when  and  as  they  are  reported  as  hay- 
ing been  paid,  until  such  time  as  said 
materials  and  labor  accounts  amount 
to  the  sum  of  $200,000.  After  the  first 
$200,000  have  been  expended,  and  dur- 
ing the  continuation  of  this  agreement, 
5%  of  such  amounts  so  expended  or 
charged  shall  be  paid  in  the  same  man- 
ner and  form. 

It  appears  from  a perusal  of  these 
terms  that  all  details  of  the  enterprise, 
after  initial  decisions  have  been  reached, 
such  as  furnishing  of  expert  architectural 
service,  of  the  city  planning  services  and 


SAWYER  PARK  IS  ACCESSIBLE  TO  THE  HEART  OF  THE  CITY. 
Map  Showing  a Half  Mile  Radius. 


of  all  that  usually  goes  with  a develop- 
ment from  acreage  property  into  build- 
ing sites,  have  been  placed  in  one  hand, 
thus  eliminating  unnecessary  middle- 
men’s profits  and  reducing  overhead 
charges  to  an  absolute  minimum,  at  the 
same  time  affording  to  the  contractor  a 
proper  reward  for  his  services. 

An  interesting  commentary  on  how 
the  war  has  affected  building  is  found  in 
the  statement  of  the  architect  that  he 
closed  a contract  for  50  houses  similar 
to  Type  D on  April  16th,  at  a price  $269 
per  dwelling  for  material  and  $208  per 
dwelling  for  labor,  or  a total  increase  of 
$477  per  dwelling  over  the  cost  of  these 
buildings  built  a year  ago.  Some  of  this 
advanced  cost  was  due  to  different  costs 
in  a different  locality. 


It  is  interesting  to  note  that  this  village 
of  100  houses  was  under  roof  in  six 
months’  time  and  that  it  had  been  brought 
to  completion  in  a reasonable  time  not- 
withstanding the  unanticipated  difficulties 
of  the  extreme  weather  encountered  dur- 
ing last  winter.  The  building  company  has 
not  only  furnished  unusual  intelligence 
and  skill  in  its  work,  but  has  also  estab- 
lished standards  in  methods  of  record 
keeping  and  presentation  of  facts  which 
may  well  serve  as  a model  for  similar 
undertakings.  Through  the  courtesy  of 
the  Dodson  Realty  Corporation  we  are 
able  to  present  here  three  statistical 
charts  showing  various  phases  of  the 
costs  that  entered  into  this  project.  Table 
I shows  what  may  be  termed  the  De- 
velopment Costs,  not  only  in  totals,  but 


also  on  a unit  basis  of  running  foot  cost. 
Thus  we  are  able  to  see  at  a glance 
the  cost  of  house  sewers  per  running 
foot,  or  storm  sewers,  of  sidewalks,  of 
curbs,  of  gutters,  of  electric  wiring 
and  of  all  the  elements  that  enter  into 
the  development  of  property  of  this 
kind. 

Table  III  shows  in  a similarly  striking 
way  the  cost  of  labor  and  material  of 
various  kinds  for  one  dwelling,  based  on 
the  cost  of  100  dwellings.  This  is  an  im- 
pressive, graphic  presentation  and  is 
invaluable  to  persons  projecting  similar 
enterprises,  in  affording  a basis  of  what 
such  costs  should  be. 

Here  we  have  presented  under  the 
heading  of  “Material”  the  actual  cost 
per  house  of  the  excavation,  concrete, 
tile  work,  rough  lumber,  finished  lumber, 
plaster,  painting,  slate  roofing,  sheet 
metal,  hardware,  electric  work,  heating, 
plumbing,  hauling,  structural  steel  and 
miscellaneous.  Under  each  one  of  these 
various  categories  in  parallel  columns 
are  presented  the  costs  for  labor  for  one 
house,  not  only  the  cost,  but  also  the 
number  of  hours  of  labor  taken  in  each 
kind  of  work ; from  which  it  appears 
that  the  average  dwelling  containing 
13,600  cubic  feet  was  budlt  at  a rate  of 
14.6  cents  per  cubic  foot,  not  including, 
however,  contractor's  profit  nor  archi- 
tect's fees  nor  certain  extras  such  as 
cement  floors,  gas  range,  kitchen  cabinet 
and  medicine  cabinet.  This  would  give 
the  average  cost  of  a house  without  the 
contractor’s  profit  in  round  figures  at 
$2,000  ($1,985.60). 

Table  IV  shows  in  a comparative  way 
the  relative  cost  of  labor  and  material 
entering  into  each  one  of  these  various 
categories,  with  the  percentage  of  the 
total  cost  of  each ; thus  we  note  that  the 
tile  work,  for  example,  was  24.8%  of 
the  total  cost  of  the  building  and  that  of 
this  cost  materials  constituted  63%  and 
labor  37%. 

Of  course  to  these  actual  costs  of  the 
building  must  be  added  the  overhead 
charges,  interest  on  the  money  invested 
and  the  important  cost  of  land  and  land 
development,  especially  the  latter,  as  well 
as  the  carrying  charges  on  the  buildings 
during  the  ten-year  period  of  sale. 


LAND  COST. 

The  facts  with  regard  to  the  land  cost 
and  the  cost  of  developing  the  acreage 
property  into  suitable  sites  are  singularly 
instructive.  The  land,  amounting  to 
36.71  acres,  was  purchased  for  $23,235, 
giving  a cost  of  raw  land  of  $636  an 
acre.  To  develop  24  acres  of  this  land 
cost  approximately  $2,000  an  acre  as  fol- 
lows : 


Cost  per  acre  for  House  Sewer $405.64 

Storm  Sewer  ....  385.24 

“ “ “ “ Sidewalks  236.50 

“ “ “ “ Curbing  333.48 

“ “ “ “ Gutters  137.10 

“ “ “ “ Electric  Lighting.  106.66 

“ “ “ “ Streets  630.00 

“ “ “ “ Alleys  43.00 

“ “ “ “ Planting  32.66 


Total  cost  per  acre $2,311.28 


The  city  will  refund  for  lights,  street 
intersections,  etc.,  making  the  cost  ap- 
proximately $2,000  per  acre  or  $166  per 
lot,  not  including  carrying  charges  or 
overhead. 

16.00  acres  in  lots. 

7.64  acres  in  streets. 

.32  acres  in  alleys. 

23.98  or  approximately  24  acres  in  above  esti- 
mate. 

or  approximately  304  lots  in  above  esti- 
mate. 

12  lots  to  an  acre. 

Total  length  of  streets,  7,740  feet. 

Total  length  of  alleys,  4,140  feet. 

Total  length  of  sidewalks,  11,752  feet  (4^4 
ft.  wide). 

Our  single-tax  friends,  who  are  so 
wont  to  hold  that  low  land  cost  is  the 
solution  of  the  housing  problem  and  that 
the  keeping  of  land  out  of  use  is 
responsible  to  so  large  an  extent  for 
the  inability  to  develop  workingmen’s 
dwellings  at  a price  within  the  purchas- 
ing power  of  the  workingman,  should 
take  to  heart  and  ponder  these  figures, 
for  they  will  then  discover  what  has  been 
patent  for  many  years  to  all  persons 
who  have  had  experience  in  developing 
acreage  property,  that  the  heavy  cost  is 
not  in  the  cost  of  the  land,  but  in  the  cost 
of  developing  that  land. 

Could  this  cost  of  developing  proper- 
ty— of  building  sewers,  laying  sidewalks, 
curbs  and  gutters,  of  installing  electric 
lights  and  building  streets  and  alleys — 


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TABLE  III.— COST  CHART, 
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TABLE  IV— RELATIVE  COSTS, 
LABOR  AND  MATERIALS. 


1 


\ 


have  been  defrayed  by  the  City  of  Wil- 
liamsport in  toto  it  would  have  been  pos- 
sible to  have  sold  these  houses  to  the 
workingman  at  a materially  lower  rate. 

TO  SUM  UP. 

Sawyer  Park  is  a very  distinctive 
achievement  of  which  the  City  of  Wil- 
liamsport may  well  be  proud.  The  city 
owes  a debt  of  graitude  to  the  men  of 
vision  and  courage  who  undertook  this 
project  in  the  face  of  the  opposition  and 
conservatism  which  usually  prevail  in 
all  communities. 

It  is  the  nearest  approach  that  this 
country  has  to  the  best  English  Garden 
Village  developments. 

It  is  a genuine  Garden  Village,  archi- 
tecturaly  attractive,  with  buildings  that 
possess  charm  and  distinction. 


The  houses  are  well  and  substantially 
built  at  a minimum  cost,  well  within  the 
purchasing  power  of  the  skilled  worker. 
The  development  follows  the  best  city 
planning  practice. 

It  is  on  a scale  sufficiently  small  to 
make  similar  development  possible  in 
other  communities  throughout  the  coun- 
try, while  the  methods  which  have  been 
employed  by  the  business  men  of  Wil- 
liamsport in  organizing  and  carrying  out 
the  project,  the  terms  of  the  contract 
with  the  construction  company  and  the 
methods  employed  by  that  company 
in  carrying  on  the  work  and  in  keep- 
ing track  of  costs  and  other  records  of 
the  expense  of  the  development  may 
well  serve  as  models  for  similar  enter- 
prises. 


A 


• • 


. ' • 


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5 


* 


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J 


BEAUTIFUL  SAWYER  PARK  AS' IT  WILL  LOOK  WHEN  COMPLETED 


BUY  A HOME  IN  SAWYER  PARK  NOW 

At  Pre-War  Prices— On  Easy  Terms 


lOZY,  comfortable  homes,  exactly  as  are  shown  here,  are  now 
1 ready  for  occupancy  and  offered  for  sale  at  very  moderate 
pre-war  prices  and  on  the  most  liberal  terms.  If  you  ever 
contemplate  buying  a home  (and  every  man.should),  this  is 
your  opportunity  to  own  one  in  a community  where  evefy  con- 
| venience  has  been  provided  for  you  and  values  are  bound  to 
increase.  The  Williamsport  Improvement  Company,  which  is  com- 


posed of  887  public-spirited  citizens,  stands  back  of  even-  house  that 
is  built  at  Sawyer  Park  and  guarantees  the  honesty  of ‘its  construc- 
tion. Compared  with  present  day  prices  you  get  considerable  more  than 
a dollar's  worth  of  value  for  every  dollar  invested.  All  materials  were 
bought  in  carload  lots  at  pre-war  wholesale  prices,  which  were  consid- 
erably below  prevailing  costs  to-dav  and  this  saving  is  passed  along  to 
the  man  who  buys  a home  in  Sawyer  Park.  • 


ThinK  of  It,  a Fine  Home  at  $2,935  to  $3,285 


The  Terms  Are  Easy 

All  that  la  required  of  the  purchaser  of  a home  at  Sawyer  Park  is 
that  be  pay  ten  per  cent,  of  the  sale  price  at  the  beginning,  the  balance  . 
to  be  paid  for  in  monthly  inatahnenta,  just  the  same  as  Tent  at  the  rate 
of  one  per  cent,  of  purchase  price  until  the  entire  indebtedness  is  wiped 
out  For  example  on  a $3,000  house  the  cash  payment  would  be  $300, 
and  the  monthly  instalments  would  be  $30.  You  are  given  immediate 
possession  of  the  house  as  soon  as  the  first  down  cash  payment  is  mad:. 
You  then  have  a home  of  your  own. 


Type  "A"  Twe-FaaiDy  House,  Sis  Rooms  and 


Sawyer  Park  Ii  Abiolutely  Unique 

To  appreciate  it  and  realize  what  an  ideal  home  place  it  really  is,  it  is 
necessary  that  you  go  and  ate  it— study  in  location,  go  through  some  of 
the  houses  nearing  completion,  note  some  of  the  grading  that  has  been 
done,  the  wide  streets  that  are  being  built,  the  concrete  walks  and  curbs, 
etc  City  water,  sewera,  gas  mains  snd  electric  lights  are  all  there  too. 


Type  “B"  Two-Family  House,  Sis 


SIX-FAMILY  HOUSE,  TYPE  EACH  HAS  SIX  ROOMS  AND  BATH 


FOUR-FAMILY  HOUSE,  TYPE  “D>r  EACH  HAS  SEVEN  ROOMS  AND  BATH 


Williamsport  Improvement  Company 

Any  Member  of  tHe  Sales  Organization  Will  Give  Detailed  Information  Upon  Request 


SWARTZ  4 SHEA 
4 West  Market  Square 
ABE  HART 
Han  Building 


FUREY  4 CO 
347  Pine  Street 
NEWCOMER  4 RILEY 
2007/  West  Fourth  Street 


E.  W.  COLE  4 CO. 

353  Pine  Street 
SPENCE  W.  HILL  4 SON 
332  Pine  Street 


